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The couple joined children for group discussions where they both encouraged the youngsters to talk about mental health.

Kate said: "People are so worried about what they say, they aren't saying anything at all, and what we've found from speaking to people is it's so good to have conversations."

William said: "Mental health used to be this scary word that people didn't like talking about and it's slowly getting better now."

The Duke and Duchess were greeted by children's characters including Danger Mouse, Peppa Pig, Elmo from Sesame Street and Postman Pat as they arrived at the Children's Global Media Summit in the Manchester Central Convention Complex.

The couple then met delegates from the conference, which is on the future of children's media.

Jeffrey Dunn, chief executive of Sesame Workshop, said William told him he had seen Elmo outside.

"He was remarking on how exciting it was," he said.

Alex Okosi, executive vice president and managing director of Viacom Africa, said he spoke to the Duke about the work the company was doing to help young people without access to education.

He said: "He understood the importance of education and trying to bridge that gap between those with unlimited access and those who will never get it."